Lunchtime! Packable palate-friendly ideas

Flake white tuna onto peppery arugula, garnish the plates with radishes for even more bite, and toss on a few cucumbers to cool the presentation. Then drizzle with spicy sauce. Not your mother’s tuna salad. (Recipe)
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Catherine Smart

Coriander chicken salad with avocado and jicama

Dredging lean chicken cutlets in coriander creates a thin crust to lock in moisture. It also lends warm savory notes to an otherwise crisp salad of crunchy romaine, spicy radish, and sweet jicama. (Recipe)
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Sheryl Julian

Curried chicken salad with cashews

Cook the curry powder first in a little hot oil and it mellows the spice. The curry is subtle here. You can make it school-bus yellow, if you like, by adding much more. Lots of crunch from celery and cashews, juicy surprises from grapes, bite from red onion. (Recipe)
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Karoline Boehm Goodnick

Shells and cheese with peas and bacon

A scoop of this gooey, cheesy dish will be a welcome find in kid and adult lunchboxes alike. (Recipe)
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Sheryl Julian

Lentil soup

Start with a thick center-cut pork chop and brown it with vegetables before adding lentils. It was a pretty good trick. That little chop went a long way to giving the soup flavor. You do need chicken stock, however, since one chop can’t flavor the entire pot. Once the soup is done, take the chop out, cut up the meat, and return it to the lentil mixture. (Recipe)
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Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff

White bean salad with chicken

The bean salad offers a low-cost, high-protein, high-fiber meal with a touch of oil to marry the ingredients. (Recipe)
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Sheryl Julian

Broiled chicken salad with toasted walnuts and orange dressing

Start with broiled chicken and pull the meat off the bones, along with some of that succulent skin. In goes toasted walnuts, red grapes, lots of celery and scallions, and a simple vinaigrette made with freshly squeezed orange juice. (Recipe)
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Take cooked tuna steaks and mix them with capers, onions, parsley, and olive oil to create a sophisticated salad. Take advantage of glorious native tomatoes that offer edible bowls in bright colors. Eat the salad right away, or refrigerate it for a couple of hours to allow the flavors to mellow. Tuck a thick slice of toasted baguette under each tomato and enjoy. (Recipe)
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karoline boehm goodnick

Couscous salad with carrot and raisins

Dress couscous with raisins, slivered almonds, lemon rind, and carrots, then toss it with a lemony cumin vinaigrette. Because this salad is good at room temperature, it makes a great quick side dish for a busy weeknight and travels well to work. (Recipe)
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Karoline Boehm Goodnick

Farro with sugar snap peas and white beans

Farro may be the oldest grain, but in the home pantry, it’s one of the newest additions. Similar to the wheatberry, farro offers a nutty taste with a chewy texture. This Italian export pairs well with any seasonal vegetable to create a vitamin-rich, filling main course or light side dish. (Recipe)
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Karoline Boehm Goodnick

Caesar salad with broiled shrimp

Broiled shrimp are ready in minutes, and if you buy ready-peeled crustaceans, they require no prep work. Today, many lettuces, including romaine, come bagged and cut up. (Recipe)
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Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

Eggplant banh mi

The dish is a riff on the popular Vietnamese sandwich and includes pan-fried tofu, homemade pickled vegetables, and cilantro. (Recipe)
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Aram Boghosian

Brussels sprouts Caesar salad

Brussels sprouts can be shredded and served raw like cabbage in slaw. In fact, people who dislike the smell and taste of cooked (and typically overcooked) Brussels sprouts will find this salad preparation more palatable. (Recipe)
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Karoline Boehm Goodnick for The Boston Globe

Grilled zucchini and onion po’boys with tomatoes and garlic remoulade

For a vegetarian version of the Cajun classic po’boy, grill zucchini and onions and tuck them into a baguette with remoulade, a mayonnaise-based sauce spiked with hot sauce. Slice the squash into long, thick planks so that every bite is filled with the perfect combo of filling and bread. (Recipe)
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Catherine Smart for The Boston Globe

Pasta, pea, and radish salad with pistachio pesto

The pesto is made with equal parts parsley and basil, along with a large handful of fresh mint and unsalted pistachio nuts. Add it to a bowl of pasta shells with thinly sliced radishes and peas for a cooling lunch. (Recipe)
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Karoline Boehm Goodnick

Kale and white bean salad with chickpeas

Lacinato kale, also known as Tuscan, dinosaur, or black kale, has a hearty texture often tenderized with long cooking times. For salads, remove the hard, center vein and thinly slice the leaves. The bumpy surface traps dirt and sand so be sure to wash well. Toss greens with seasoned white beans and serve at room temperature. (Recipe)
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